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A $5.5 million home in Point Loma that was recently put on the market is connected to two historical figures in the San Diego community.

Pauline Lim-Endresen, who's co-listing the property at 815 Armada Terrace with husband, Bjorn Endresen, talks to the Union-Tribune about the home's architect and original owner for our weekly housing Q&A Five on Friday (five questions, five answers). The listing is courtesy of Pacific Sotheby's International Realty.

Question: Could you give me some details about the listing?

Lim-Endresen: The home has six bedrooms, four large rooms for living, dining, family and study, six bathrooms, one powder room or half bath, a three-car garage, a driveway that can fit at least five other vehicles, and cooled wine room that can hold more than 500 bottles. The current owners spent a year restoring and upgrading the house.

Question: What makes the home special, historically?

Lim-Endresen: It's one of the few large estate homes in La Playa, a Point Loma neighborhood. It was designed by local master architect Frank L. Hope Jr. in 1934. Several homes designed by him have been awarded the Mills Act historic designation, which gives the property owners tax breaks.

The original owners bought the lot in 1929 but did not want to build a big home during the Depression, so they waited until 1934.

According to Lawrence Oliver, the original owner:

I don’t believe that any lot on the hill surpasses ours for the view. From it you can see the harbor, the city of San Diego, Mexico, and the mountains toward the east.

It's been owned and loved by two successful families. Much of the historic architectural details have been restored and maintained.

Question: What can you tell me about Oliver, the original owner, and his significance in San Diego?

Lim-Endresen: It's a rags-to-riches story of a self-made, entrepreneurial and successful immigrant from Europe in the early 1900s. He was illiterate in his early teens and came from almost nothing, on a boat from Portugal’s Pico Island, one of the islands in the Azores.

He played a large role in the fishing industry around the San Diego Bay, owning processing plants, fishing boats and distribution. He also owned real estate, cattle, a ranch and a golf course. He donated part of his ranch to found Camp Oliver, a camp for underprivileged children. The camp is still operating today.

Question: What were his contributions to the community?

Lim-Endresen: He had a large role in the local Portuguese community, helping organize various events and fundraisers, including for the House of Portugal in Balboa Park. A staunch Catholic, his family has had personal audiences with two different Popes in Rome.

Oliver had an important role in bringing the Cabrillo Statue to San Diego, including pushing to have it here and then discovering where it was hidden in San Francisco and helping bring it here, in the midst of some scandal and competition from other large cities, including San Francisco, Oakland and Fresno.